"I mean, I just think everybody needs to lighten up and leave her alone," Gaga said. "Because it's pop music. Everybody's entitled to their own artistic expression, and if you have a problem with it, just change the channel."

This coming from a woman clad in a bedazzled seashell bustier and weave of voluminous ringlets embellished by a starfish. The 27-year-old has a history of being the award-show talking point thanks to her own zany getups. (She said she'll always "have a soft spot" in her heart for the meat dress she wore to the 2010 VMAs.)

But Gaga railed against the Disney alum's haters and applauded her self-expression.

"I don't understand the incessant need to constantly go on and on about hating things all the time because, what, she's 20 years old? And if anything, I give her props. You know, she's growing up in front of the entire world and maybe she's not so happy with stuff she did in her career when she was younger and she wants to be free, so let her do what she wants."

We're looking at you, "Hannah Montana."

Speaking of doing what you want, Gaga called out the audience members who let loose when British boy band One Direction clinched the song of the summer award and were met with resounding boos. (She later told the boys they deserved every bit of success they had.)

"I was completely embarrassed for MTV and for America during that award show," she told Cohen. "Because if I was in the UK and I had won, there is no way that anybody would have booed because it's so impolite. Keep your ... feelings to yourself and politely clap and smile and then go be a normal person and talk about me behind my back!"

And here's what she had to say about twerking: "I think that people need to stop putting the letter T in front of the word 'work.'"

Gaga, who underwent hip surgery earlier this year, is doing the rounds to promote her upcoming album, "Artpop," which is set for Nov. 11 release. The album will bear Mother Monster in the nude, which brings us to her stripping down for V Magazine's September issue. The issue features four different Gaga covers with 16 pages of nude photos. The singer spoke candidly with Cohen on "WWHL: After Show" about why she decided to trade her theatrical outfits for the buff.

"I don't find it particularly shocking in the scope of the artistic world," the pop star said of her nudity. "I understand maybe because I'm a public figure it may be considered [shocking] because it's nudity. In Europe, nudity is not nearly as conservative as it is in America.

"I'm really proud of myself that I could take my clothes off and take my makeup off and just be there, because since I was 11 years old I didn't feel like I could. And you have seen me put on lots of wigs and lots of outfits and lots of theater because I was unable to do that," she added. "With 'Artpop' I took it all off and I challenged myself to be able to transform in a minimal way. I hope that you can see the nuance in the transformation in the nudity between the different looks that I did on the four different covers.

"It was emotionally really taxing because I had to look myself in the mirror with no makeup on. I mean, how ... easy is that for you. It's still not easy for me. ... I needed to do that for me. I needed to know that I was willing to risk it all for art ... for fashion ... to prove to myself once and for all that I could look myself in the mirror and be proud of who I am."